Who Are We?

Terpstras In AfricaOur names are Jon and Donna Terpstraand we are the founders of Terpstras In Africa, and its outreaches: It's Our Mission: Period! and GROWTH Ministries.

But who are we? Well, we wonder that sometimes too! Sometimes it depends on where are we - more than who are we.Husband, wife, parents, welder, teacher, restaurant owners, truck driver, stenographer, humanitarians, missionaries. To everything, there has been a season.

We have lived a great portion of our lives in Michigan and have been doing mission work/humanitarian aid in Africa since 2005.In 2009, along with our youngest son Eli, we moved to Nigeria to live ~ a year that totally changed our lives.Although we are now living in Michigan, we continue to travel back and forth to Africa on different projects throughout the year.We would love to share our work with you -and are always looking for folks to assist us in the effort so feel free to contact us at any time.

**TerpstrasInAfrica is a 501(c)(3) that works alongside those who are passionate about our projects. We are non-sectarian in regard to who we help, but we do so in the name of our faith when we are asked. We help across religions: Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Orthodox, Catholics, atheists and animists in the Name of our God. Our love and compassion speaks of our faith in God and our following the scriptures which say: 'love your neighbor as yourself' in Matthew 22:38 and in James 1:27 which reads: 'Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.'

It's Our Mission: Period!No woman should be dis-empowered simply because she is a woman.

The Need: In many cultures, women are SET ASIDE, considered UNCLEAN and DEFILED simply because of the natural process of menstruation. The result is an immense burden of SHAME that women carry: shame in their bodies, in their sense of self, in the core of their identity.

We believe that this generation has the capacity to bring about a CHANGE in their perceptions, and that women are the agents of that change. It starts with a shift in mindset: “My period is NOT a CURSE.”Our goal:

Empowerment: to discover that their period is something they can manage rather than a crippling curse to be endured.

Freedom: for women to remain in school and at work during menstruation. Currently, young women in high school miss an estimated 156 school days -- that’s 17% of their learning -- because of the lack of necessary supplies.

Sustainability:women are provided the education they need to make their own marketable product, as well as the ability to, in turn, teach other women.

It's Our Mission - PERIOD! grew from the awareness of the desperate need for basic hygiene products for women in The Majority World. This project continues out of necessity and compassion for young women in undeveloped nations. After hearing of the need, we determined to make it our mission to help them.

Together, we can bring change to her world.

GROWTHGod Revealing Our Ways Through Him is an outreach of Terpstras In Africa.The ministry focus of GROWTH is seeking God’s ways and purposes in the lives of all believers. Here in Michigan, the ministry has focused on women; but GROWTH is for ALL of us.You see, the outreach of GROWTH has nothing to do with gender, but rather the heart of any believer who is ready to follow where God leads.Locally here in Michigan, GROWTH is a community outreach drawing women of all ages to come together with the common bond of just that - being women. We share our lives and love one another as we seek to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus. It is our desire to bring women together from various churches, denominations, etc., to focus not on our differences - but on our common purpose of living for God.Should you be interested in hosting a GROWTH event, please contact us.Donna speaks to church groups of all denominations, ladies Bible studies, service groups, sororities etc.